+ HER ANTIDOTE + | OPEN

[onlyredroses]

Who: The Queen of Hearts [onlyredroses], her Mirrors, and curious Real Things.
Where: The Core, Mirror Side
When: 7/22nd-7/23rd
Rating: PG-13 to be safe.
Summary: The Queen of Hearts gave an order, and those who followed it are to report to her at the Core. However, the rips are still present, so there may be a few stray Real Things making life difficult.
The Story:

The light of the Core is still flickering, temperamental as it's been for weeks. Then, at 11:58PM on the 21st, the Queen of Hearts is there in a blink, arms crossed.

"What are you doing in there?" she mutters. "Shouldn't you be preventing this? I shouldn't have to clean up your mess."

The Core, or whoever she's speaking to, predictably does not respond, and she huffs. Typical.

She pulls a pocket watch from a pocket of her dress and flicks it open with a frown. 12:01AM. The 22nd. Then, she looks down the hall. It has only been a minute and she is already growing very impatient, tapping her foot as she waits.

It would be in everyone's best interest not to keep her waiting too long.

[ooc: Prose or [brackets] are fine; I'll match! If you would like your character to have a traitor mark either added or removed, specify it somewhere in your tag and I'll get in touch with you about that! Anyone seeking to fight her will be disappointed though. She has business to attend to and will not entertain attackers (and will send them away), but this is a rare opportunity for any Reals who have wanted to speak with Her Majesty. And of course, your Mirrors may present their stolen sentimental items here. ♥]

Comments

[onlyredroses]

Is it now? Perhaps you ought to be more concerned with keeping the information you already have.

[The Queen of Hearts gently drums her fingers on the Core's door before looking back at the twins. Mabel is wiser for keeping quiet, for being wary of her.]

I know you were already here once. Tell me...was the Core everything you thought it might be?

[Her hand drifts downward, to the handle of the door. She knows perfectly well what opening it would do to them - and therefore, she knows she has all the true negotiating power in this confrontation.]

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper steps in front of Mabel, ready to take the full brunt of the blast if she opens that door.] We're not scared! [He's a little scared.] We're going to figure out how to look at it without losing memories. Just wait!

[They already figured out how to let Antimony do it. Now they just have to find a way for Dipper and Mabel to manage.]

[powerofmabel]

[Mabel, meanwhile, covers her brother's eyes and buries her face in his back to shield herself and him, just in case the Queen decides to open that door further. She doesn't want to lose anything else.] Dipper, let's just go...

[onlyredroses]

[She laughs at their combined reaction.]

Oh, I'm certain you will - you're already doing an excellent job. Before you run off, tell me one thing!

[She tilts her head upward, making a show of trying to think and remember herself, even though she already knows the answer to the question she's about to ask.]

Tell me, what are your middle names? I don't recall and surely you must. A name is not merely a memory but part of an identity, after all. You wouldn't be so careless as to forget something like that, would you?

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper opens his mouth to respond angrily, but he pauses.

What is his middle name?]

We don't have middle names.

[He tries to sound confident, but the fact is, that doesn't seem right. He should have a middle name, but he's not at all sure what it is. He turns his head towards Mabel slightly, though with his eyes covered, it doesn't really make much difference.]

[powerofmabel]

[Mabel slowly lowers her hands from Dipper's face as it occurs to her she doesn't remember.] Yeah... Not everyone has them.

[But she does feel like there's a gap somewhere, like she can hear her mother calling her by three names in that chastising tone, but the middle name is blurred out. She bites her lip.]

[onlyredroses]

Right. Of course you don't. And I'm sure you never did.

[Except she sounds as though she can see right through them, as though she knows something they don't - which, in this case, is absolutely true.]

Are you sure it wasn't --------? Or --------?

[Her mouth is clearly moving, but the twins will find that they can't hear those words, those names, whatever they are. The words vanish before they can even process the sentence, and the Queen of Hearts is well aware.]

[krmvgivv]

You're not even saying things! [People can move their mouths and not say things! That... has to be it, right? They couldn't just lose a whole name.]

Besides, you're one to talk. Do you even have a first name?

[powerofmabel]

[Mabel grips Dipper's shoulder a little tighter as both a comfort thing and a DIPPER SHUT UP thing. Something is WAY wrong with all this.] She's just gonna keep being a big jerk, Dip. Let's go.

[onlyredroses]

Of course I do.

[But she doesn't say what it is. She just tilts her head up slightly, gesturing to them without bothering to lift a finger.]

You ought to listen to your sister. You have no business being here if you have nothing worthwhile for me.

[krmvgivv]

[Dipper glares at the Queen, but Mabel's hand on his shoulder is enough to get him to nod slightly.] Fine. [Though he hates doing it when she's telling him to do it. But Mabel wants to go, and she's probably right, he probably can't take on the ruler of the Mirror side of Wonderland all on his own. He grits his teeth and turns away.] Fine. We'll figure it out on our own.